


The Neon Lights On Me Tonight (I feel the magic between you and I)

by orphan_account



Series: Totally '80s [4]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-03-05
Updated: 2012-03-05
Packaged: 2017-11-01 04:25:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/351914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Technically we’re supposed to be responsible adults now, you realize.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Neon Lights On Me Tonight (I feel the magic between you and I)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [jelazakazone](https://archiveofourown.org/users/jelazakazone/gifts).



> So for Jela's birthday, I wrote a piece with our boys on Merlin's bike. I'm not sure if the tone is exactly what I'd been aiming for, but hopefully it came out alright.
> 
> Happy (early) Birthday, Jela ♥

“Technically we’re supposed to be responsible adults now, you realize.”

Merlin raised an ironical eyebrow at this assertion, probably referring to the long hours Arthur spent playing _Galaga_ last night on their old Nintendo 64, which mysteriously continued to refuse giving up the ghost. Merlin had been asleep the entire time, exhausted from two weeks presenting his art across the pond, followed by a long flight back home, yet he still knew. Arthur’s cheeks colored and he had to fight the urge to scuff his boot on the pavement at having his youthful foibles called out so easily. He shouldn’t be surprised; Merlin knew him inside and out, often understanding Arthur better than he understood himself. 

In many ways, it was a blessing, because it helped immensely in reducing the potential for misunderstandings between them. In other ways, it was incredibly annoying, because it made winning arguments extremely difficult.

He pursed his lips and stared at the machine Merlin sat on quite comfortably. It had been years since Arthur rode with his partner, clutching onto him from the back of his sleek black bike; now he opted for the more practical mode of taking a cab.

However, a month ago when he asked Merlin what he wanted for his thirtieth birthday, this was all that Merlin requested, and Arthur was determined to give him whatever he desired.

Merlin gave Arthur the world, so how could he do any less in return?

“Do you have everything?”

His partner patted the satchel slung over his shoulder. “It’s all here.”

Feeling guilty, considering this was meant to be Arthur’s present to Merlin, he asked, “And you’re certain you don’t want me to pay for petrol?”

“Arthur, it’s fine, really. Hop on – I want to get there before _Heathen_ goes on stage.” He teasingly hummed a few bars from _Sister Christian_ while starting the bike.

As always, there was an instant when Merlin started the ignition where Arthur could swear his eyes turned from their usual grey-blue to gold, and he shook the idea off, laughing at himself. Eyes didn’t change color – he was being ridiculous yet again.

With that thought, he swung his leg over the bike and accepted the helmet Merlin proffered, even as his partner impatiently switched to humming _, I Want to Rock_.

Then his voice was lost as the wind whipped up all about them, and Arthur’s arms clung securely to the wiry frame of his partner, generally concealed under layer upon layer of clothing, but today hidden only by a thin cotton T-shirt that had seen better days, and Merlin’s faithful leather jacket. Eventually he grew reacquainted with the motion of the bike and the force of the wind, and emboldened, he slipped one hand beneath Merlin’s shirt, caressing the taut belly which belonged to him and him alone. Without even seeing his face, Arthur knew that the other man was smiling, and felt the pleased shudder which ran through Merlin with a smugness which came from being the only one to know his body as if it were his own.

Years ago when they first got together, Arthur had asked if Merlin had any experience. Merlin had gazed at him with something strangely like melancholia and told him softly, “I wanted to wait for the right person,” and then proceeded to play Ratt’s _Round and Round_ on their stereo and try to talk Arthur out of his guilt over his rather adventurous past. He had sought to fill the void of affection Ygraine’s untimely death and Uther’s crippling grief left in his life by sleeping his way through the young men and women of his class; his one and only attempt at a relationship which lasted longer than a night had been with Vivian, and it was an utter disaster. Then his goofy lab partner came along and proved that he wasn’t quite so goofy as he first appeared. Now Arthur knew what he only suspected in their early days, which was that he wanted to stay with Merlin for the rest of his life, to remain the only one to ever have the privilege of loving him.

So he would take time off of work to spend several days on the back of Merlin’s bike and then among thousands of other unwashed individuals, all gathered in Slovenia to hear Europe’s answer to the waning of heavy metal’s heyday, because it made Merlin happy, and on some level it appealed to Arthur’s own private desire for something mythical, something that harkened back to the days when men fought with the sword and the shield. When Merlin first introduced him to Power Metal, Arthur had been skeptical, “Why on earth would I want to listen to new bands doing the exact same thing that _Iron Maiden_ and _Scorpion_ did twenty or thirty years ago?” but there was something enthralling about the unity and the joy of the music that he could not deny.  

Several hours after their journey began, Merlin pulled into a station for petrol and sent Arthur in to buy snacks and stretch his legs. When he came back, Merlin was already done, and he pulled Arthur in by his shirt and placed a slightly moist kiss on his surprised lips and then let him go. “What was that for?”

Instead of answering outright, Merlin leaned in and sang Eric Cameron’s _Hungry Eyes_ directly into Arthur’s ear and then hopped back on his bike, asking, “Are you coming?” when Arthur simply stood and watched him with a fond yet heated look. Shaking his head to clear the rather lusty fog, Arthur responded by reclaiming his spot and his hold upon his partner.

Their week passed in a happy blur of winding roads and Rock and warm summer nights in a tent.

When they returned to their flat, they made a beeline for the shower, at first simply enjoying the flow of the water over their sweat and dirt-ridden bodies, and then taking the time to revel in the intimate quarters and convenience of the steady stream. They finished and Arthur needed to make sure, “Was this a good birthday? Did you have fun?”

Merlin smiled at him and said warmly, “Of course I did. I was with you.”


End file.
